


Six Blocks Under

by angstfortheangstgod



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Antarctic Empire, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Emotional Manipulation, Exile, Fluff and Angst, Gaslighting, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Minor canon divergence, Philza Minecraft is a good dad, Running Away, Spoilers for the December 15th Stream, Suicidal Thoughts, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), no beta we die like Jschlatt of heart attack before the war can even start, tommyinnit is a raccoon hiding in techno's basement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:22:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28110030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstfortheangstgod/pseuds/angstfortheangstgod
Summary: With a final glance up at the moon, he jumped off the tower of blocks he had built.  The wind stung his eyes as he fell, causing them to tear up in a way they hadn’t since when he had first been exiled by his best friend.  He let himself close his eyes as he raced towards the ground, going faster with every moment that passed, and he didn’t feel afraid because he knew where he was going to land.The water was cold as he broke the surface and it gave him a slight shock.AKATechno quickly finds Tommy hiding out in his basement and decides that it's time that he helped his little brother.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationships - Relationship
Comments: 26
Kudos: 912





	Six Blocks Under

Tommy stared down at the land below him, sprawling and barren. Even from where he was, towering above it all, he could see the destroyed area that was once Logstedshire, his little makeshift home that he had so lovingly crafted after being exiled. The entirety of his little island, sitting right in front of him, it looked so tiny and insignificant, as if it could be wiped off of the map in an instant. And Tommy supposed it could be; after all, Dream had no problem blowing it all up at a moment’s notice.

_ Dream. _

The name left a sour taste on Tommy’s tongue. The man, who had been there only minutes earlier, had destroyed all of his things and broken him down into nothing. Not that Tommy didn’t already feel like nothing before; he had long since lost any shred of hope that was left within his empty soul, barren as the land before him.

He had been so numb and so sad for far too long. All he had done in his exile was slowly fade away, losing hope and losing his items to a man he had once idolized. Now, as he stood before his own death, that shiny facade had worn away. Dream was no hero, no figure to be idolized by all the common people. He was a bastard, a liar and a cheat and a piece of complete shit that Tommy wanted nothing more than to tear to shred if only he was stronger. After so long of being so tired and empty, all Tommy felt was rage and determination.

Was he really going to die like this? Was he going to jump from the snow line with nobody around and allow his last life to be taken because he’d been manipulated by some piece of shit man who got some twisted satisfaction out of hurting a sixteen year old  _ child?  _ Was Tommy seriously going to let himself die this way?

With a final glance up at the moon, he jumped off the tower of blocks he had built. The wind stung his eyes as he fell, causing them to tear up in a way they hadn’t since when he had first been exiled by his best friend. He let himself close his eyes as he raced towards the ground, going faster with every moment that passed, and he didn’t feel afraid because he knew where he was going to land.

The water was cold as he broke the surface and it gave him a slight shock. Luckily, the shock wasn’t enough to paralyze him, or else he likely would’ve drowned. If anything, it was a nice feeling, a perfect accompaniment to the shock of realizing that Dream was never actually his friend. So, once the slight shock had subsided, he swam to the shore, pulling himself out and shaking some of the excess water off.

_ It was time to get moving. _

Tommy, with as much confidence as one could possibly gather after nearly committing suicide due to being in exile for months, began heading in the direction of the coordinates that Ghostbur had rattled off to him one time. It wasn’t that he was actually planning on getting help from Techno-- though, in the back of his head, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of getting to be with his family again-- it’s just that he knew Technoblade would likely have plenty of resources. If he was going to start on his own, he needed to have a good starting point, and having the ability to actually build things of his own would probably be a nice place to start.

So he trekked into the snowy biome without hesitation, not stopping as the snow began to fall and he began to shiver. It was with a sigh that Tommy realized that he had one piece of clothing in his inventory: a jacket that he never wanted to wear but never had the heart to let go of after Pogtopia ended. He didn’t truly have a choice, however, if he didn’t want to freeze to death in the snow, so Tommy squeezed his eyes shut and pulled out Wilbur’s brown trench coat, pulling it on one arm at a time and trying his best to ignore the hole in the back where his father’s sword had pierced the cloth. Even if the coat brought back memories that he wished he could forget as easily as Ghostbur, he was still grateful for the way it warmed him up. It still had the mildewy scent of the ravine he had once lived in, and he almost grimaced as he realized it reminded him of when things were easier, as if one war was simpler than another.

_ At least back then he had Tubbo. _

Tommy shook the thought from his head and kept walking. There was no use reminiscing on his old friends; after all, they were the ones who abandoned him, not the other way around! And, sure, he missed Tubbo with all his heart, but the president of L’Manburg had banished him, so there was really no reason to keep thinking about him when Tommy was quite obviously trying to make a new start. Nobody on the server knew where he was, anyways.

_ Wait-- nobody on the server knew where he was. Nobody on the server knew where he was! _

Tommy let a smile spread across his face at the realization that nobody had control over him, that there wasn’t a single person around that could be manipulating or influencing him at that very moment. All he knew was that he was finally free from Dream’s grasp, at least for the time being, and there was no government over him to exile or praise him for whatever choice he decided to make. It was  _ freeing,  _ and Tommy couldn’t help but be relieved.

_ Maybe government isn’t a good thing. _

As Tommy reached the crest of a hill and spotted a house not too far in the distance, at the coordinates he had been searching for, he pushed that thought out of his mind, too. There was a bit too much going on in his head, but all he was focused on for the time being was getting somewhere warm and getting some resources. With a renewed determination, he pushed forwards and rushed towards the small house, basking in the warm light of the lantern on the front porch as he walked around and found the side entrance. He pushed open the doors and quickly closed them behind him, trying to make sure none of the warm air in the house got out.

Tommy turned and saw the wall of chests. He crept forward and opened the one closest to him, only to see dozens of potions. He shut that and opened the one next to it to find more building materials than one could ever need unless they were building an entire country. As he searched through the chests, taking what he needed, but not taking enough to be noticeable, Tommy couldn’t help but give a small mischievous smile, the type he hadn’t given since he had burned down George’s mushroom house with Ranboo.

_ Thank you, Technoblade. _

♡♧♢♤

Techno slammed the door to his house as he entered, throwing his things onto the nearest flat surface and collapsing onto a kitchen chair. He slammed his head down onto the wooden table in front of him, causing his crown to fall off of his head, and let out a long suffering sigh. He had spent the last few days alternating between getting resources and sneaking through L’Manburg, meaning he hadn’t been home in a while. Now, back in his little house in the snowy mountains, Techno was relieved that he could finally relax.

_ But something was off. _

There was definitely something that wasn’t right, Techno realized. He lifted his head, grabbing his crown to put it back on, and looked around. He let himself listen closely in the silence, allowing his piglin ears to perk up. His hearing was superior to his human counterparts, which he was grateful for in situations like this. After a moment of listening, he was able to zero in on a sound from below him that most certainly wasn’t usually there.

There was somebody breathing down below, and that wasn’t normal for a house that only one person lived in. So, with cautious steps, Techno stood and drew his sword, slowly approaching the stairs down to the basement. He crept down and jumped out, holding out his sword and hoping to frighten the intruder, but he discovered that it was empty. With furrowed brows, he listened closer, only to realize that it was coming from even further below.

_ Surely there aren’t any zombies down there! He checked when he built this place that there weren’t any caves below it. _

Still, Techno took a step back and pulled out his pickaxe, chipping away at the stone floors. With little effort, the rock broke away and he leaned over to look into the space, only to see a ladder leading downwards. He put his pickaxe away so he would have both hands free, and he began to climb down the ladder, morbidly curious as to what would be below his home.

Once he reached the bottom, Techno let go of the wooden rungs and turned around to see . . . a room? There was a log with a bell beside it and a bed, as well as a few chests. A sign on the wall read  _ “Dnret,” _ a word that Techno could never even hope to understand. The weirdest thing of all, however, was the fact that there was somebody there.

Laying on the bed was Techno’s youngest brother, looking worse for wear. Tommy’s clothes were ripped to practically shreds and one of his shoes was missing. His usually clean strawberry blond hair was tangled and dirty and, despite the fact that he was sleeping, the bags under his eyes were dark as could be. Techno couldn’t help the pang of concern that rushed through him as he took in the state his little brother was in, but his confusion as to why the boy was there in the first place took priority over everything.

“What the  _ fuck?”  _ Techno asked rather loudly, causing Tommy to startle awake. The blond blinked tiredly and began to sit up in a sluggish manner, looking just as confused. As the two made eye contact, however, Tommy jolted back, curling into a ball in the corner of the bed farthest away from his brother.

“Hey, Techno,” Tommy laughed out nervously, avoiding eye contact.

“What the fuck is this place?” Techno questioned, not greeting the boy back.

Tommy looked around the room for a second, as if he didn’t know either. “It’s the Dnret?”

Techno sighed, placing his head in his hands for a moment before looking back at the boy with some mix of exasperation, concern, and exhaustion. “Upstairs. Now. We need to talk about whatever the fuck this is.”   
Techno watched as Tommy got out of the rickety bed, which didn’t look comfortable to sleep on even in the slightest, and cautiously shuffled across the small room, shrinking back as he passed the pink-haired man to get to the ladder. The teenager climbed towards the surface, Techno right behind him, and they didn’t stop until they were on the main floor of the house.

“Sit,” Techno ordered, vaguely motioning to one of the chairs around the kitchen table. Tommy, of course, followed the demand without protest. The obedience made Techno’s stomach turn; the Tommy he knew would have called him a pussy by now and threatened to stab him. What had happened to the kid he had once known?

Everything was silent for a few moments, the two brothers just staring at each other.

“Why were you in a secret room underneath my basement?” Techno finally asked.

“Well . . . it’s kind of a long story.”

The piglin hybrid only rolled his eyes as the obvious avoidance of the question. “And I’ve got time.”

Tommy sighed and looked down at where he was fiddling with his fingers. “Uh . . . Dream’s kinda been manipulating me, I guess? He’s been the only one visiting me in exile and shit, telling me nobody wants me around, insisting he’s my only friend, and, ya know, stuff like that.”

Tommy took in a gulp of air and then let it out, Techno’s gaze boring into him.

“He made me blow up my armor and shit every time he visited, but I still thought we were friends, if only because he was the only one around.” Tommy had a soft smile on his face, as if reminiscing on good times, but it quickly dropped away. “A few days ago, he, uh, visited and found out I had been hiding some chests from him. He was angry at me, so he blew up all the chests and blew up all of Logstedshire. He left me with nothing, not even a nether portal . . .”

“So you decided to come here?” Techno cut in, attempting to fill in the blanks. He was taken aback, however, as Tommy shook his head.

“Not exactly. The whole thing was kind of the last straw for me, the final thing to push me over. So I took all the blocks I had left and I just . . . started building up. I went until I reached the snow line and I could see all of my shitty little island where I was exiled. Looking down at it, I was ready to finally let go.”

Techno tried to imagine it, tried to picture his little brother so far up that he could see the moon even during the day time. He could envision the boy staring down at the ruins of his new home and preparing to be destroyed right there beside it. Anxiety pooled in his stomach as he imagined the boy preparing to walk off the edge and fall to ground, not a bit of fear that he would  _ die. _

“I, uh, almost did,” Tommy continued. “But then I realized that would be such a cowardly way out, that I would be letting  _ Dream win. _ ”

He spat out Dream’s name with such venom that Techno almost winced.

“So I walked off and made sure I landed in the sea, and I started walking. I needed a place where there were resources, and somewhere warm, so I made a little place six blocks under your basement and decided to stay there.”

_ It’s ironic, isn’t it?  _ One of the voices in Techno’s mind chimed in unhelpfully.  _ He’s six blocks under the dirt, like he would’ve been if he had died. _ He shook away the thought, not wanting to think about it at the moment.

“Tommy . . .” Techno didn’t have the words to communicate how he felt at that moment, staring at his little brother, who looked so fragile and tired. He hadn’t felt this much emotion about his family in so long and it was almost overwhelming. All he knew was that his mind was screaming at him to  _ protect. _

Techno, without a second thought, got up from his place across from Tommy and walked to the other side of the table. The teen looked confused as the piglin hybrid pulled him out of his chair by the hand, but was quick to understand when arms wrapped around him. Tommy buried his head into his brother’s shoulder and finally allowed himself to let it all out. Tears leaked from his eyes and dampened the cloth of Techno’s Antarctic Empire outfit, but the pink-haired man couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“It’s going to be okay, Tommy,” Techno promised in a gentle voice he hadn’t used since both of them were kids still living in their childhood home as a happy family. “I’m here now.”

Tommy only nodded and sobbed harder.

♡♧♢♤

Techno was a bit startled when the door to his house opened up and he heard footsteps, but he quickly relaxed as he recognized the footsteps as his father’s. He didn’t bother to turn around as the blond-haired man entered the kitchen where he was working on some food; mushroom stew had always been one of Tommy’s comfort foods as a kid, and he was going to do anything he could to make it up to the kid that had been through so much.

Techno glanced over as Philza collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, taking off his blue and white bucket hat, which matched colors with the rest of his new outfit, and set it down on the table. He looked . . . sad, and Techno couldn’t help but worry.

“What happened?” Techno asked as he turned down the heat on the stew and let it simmer.

“I went to visit L’Manburg and Dream showed up with an announcement,” Philza replied, placing his head in his hands. Techno couldn’t help but stiffen a bit at the mention of Dream, but he didn’t interrupt as Phil continued. “Apparently, all of Logstedshire was blown up and there was a large tower that Tommy jumped off of. Techno . . . he’s gone.”

“Phil-” Techno started.

“I’m such an awful father!” Philza cried out, grief laced into each syllable. “I couldn’t keep Tommy alive after I murdered Wilbur . . . I don’t deserve to be a father.”

“He’s not dead!” Techno insisted, cutting off Phil’s ramblings.

“I- what?”

Techno’s shoulders sagged and he went back to rustling around in the kitchen, pulling out a few bowls and setting them down on the counter. “Tommy’s not dead.”

“Techno, why would they lie about this?”

“Because Dream is a manipulative bastard, that’s why,” Techno replied with a bitter hint to his voice as he grabbed a ladle and began to spoon stew into one of the bowls.

Philza sighed, sounding exhausting. “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s something we’re going to have to accept. We lost Tommy, Tech-”

The blond-haired man paused as he suddenly noticed the sound of footsteps descending from down the stairs, lightly but loud enough to be heard. Techno, from his position in the kitchen, was able to see who was coming down first; Philza watched as he turned and smiled as whoever was in the house, holding out a bowl of mushroom stew.

“Looking good,” Techno complimented the stranger, and Phil was taken aback by the gentleness in his voice. When the person fully descended the stairs, Philza got a good look at them, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized who it was.

“Tommy?” Phil questioned, voice barely above a whisper. He stood up from the chair and took a step closer to his youngest son, taking in the boy’s appearance. He was rather roughed up, covered and bruises and scars, but it appeared that he’d just taken a shower. He was very much not a ghost, which was something Philza couldn’t help but be thankful for, though he definitely looked close to a skeleton with how malnourished he seemed to be. The most striking thing, however, was the fact that he was dressed in the Antarctic Empire uniform, proudly declaring that he was a member of their anarchistic nation.

“Hi, dad,” Tommy replied weakly, voice raspy from disuse.

“But- how? Dream said you were dead!”

Tommy sighed, setting the bowl of mushroom soup on the closest kitchen counter. “Dream says a lot of things. I’ve come to learn that most of what he says is bullshit.”

Philza couldn’t help but crack a smile at that, seeing a little bit of the kid he knew shining through the cracks. He opened his arms and his boy rushed into them, burying his face into his dad’s shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Philza could see Techno smiling at the little moment the father and son were sharing.

“So, what happened?” Philza asked, pulling away from his youngest son but not taking his hands off of his shoulders.

“A lot,” Techno answered, saving Tommy from having to go through the emotional stress of explaining it again, “and we’ll explain more later, but all that matters for now is that we’re all under the same side of the war again, under the Antarctic Empire.”

Tommy broke out into a bright smile, and a sense of hope filled all of them for the first time since they’d joined the Dream SMP.

**Author's Note:**

> p h i l z a m i n e c r a f t
> 
> but, in all seriousness, thank u for reading! this is just something I came up with real quick after watching tommy's stream yesterday :)


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